Title - Metro can be commissioned by 2016, says Tom Jose

Reiterating that the State Government had entrusted the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) with the task of implementing the Kochi metro-rail project, the agency’s outgoing chairman Tom Jose said that the project can be commissioned as scheduled by 2016.The project can be implemented as expected, for Rs. 5,189 crore. This includes the projected price escalation during the coming years. “The KMRL is capable of implementing the project,” he said.Mr. Jose was responding to questions by mediapersons here on Thursday whether the project would incur delays because of differences of opinion between the agency and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on implementing it. (The DMRC has been stating that both the UDF Government and the previous LDF Government had asked it to implement the metro.)Admitting that there were ‘professional’ differences of opinion (with the DMRC and its Principal Advisor E. Sreedharan), Mr. Jose said that the work on the project must go ahead by ironing out the differences. As for signing an MoU with the DMRC on implementing the project, he said “Negotiations are still on and there is common ground on 50 per cent of the issues. There were differences of opinion on decision making, accounting and payments.”“The new MD (Elias George) must take a call on these. I did not have differences of opinion with the Transport Minister Aryadan Mohammed,” he added, reacting to media reports that the Minister wanted to change him from the MD post.

He said that the DMRC’s plan for station buildings did not have parking areas nearby.

“We took the initiative in identifying land near stations for parking vehicles.”

To a question on allegations that the DMRC charged very high consultancy fee, Mr. Jose said that the agency charged six per cent as compared to the 12 per cent fixed by the Railway.

“The DMRC is the consultant for the Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai metro rails. It is not the implementing agency for any of these projects,” he said.

He denied that there was major communication gap between the two agencies and between him and Mr. Sreedharan.

On his visits to Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai, he said that they were for studying the practices, issues etc. of the metro rails there.

Stating his achievements, he said that the Centre accorded its sanction for the project during his tenure. Responding to persistent questions about the reason for removing him from his post, he said that it was the government’s prerogative.

On the controversy over the postponement of dates for releasing the DMRC’s logo, Mr. Jose said that he had personally invited Ministers and other stakeholders, including Mr. Sreedharan. “The MD has the powers to decide the name (KOMET, standing for Kochi Metro) and the logo for the project,” he said.